Table tennis paddle with two handles

ABSTRACT

A novel paddle for use in racquet sports, and particularly table tennis. The paddle features two handles, that are designed to use a novel very secure grip with more relaxed hand to compare with conventional paddles and the blade of the paddle angled down and backwards with ability to produce very powerful forehand and backhand offence strokes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention related to structures known as bats, racquets, paddles, or blades for use in ball games.

INTRODUCTION TO THE INVENTION

Consider that a racquet is a paddle equipped with sheet(s) of rubber.

Table tennis is a very popular sporting event in which a racquet is used to hit table tennis balls.

The effectiveness of hitting a ball much depends on a grip of a table tennis racquet.

Well-known that there are two major grips handshake and penhold.

The both of them have their well-known advantages and disadvantages.

Penhold's Advantage:

A forehand offence stroke for an example topspin is more effective if use penhold grip instead of the handshake grip. This is because a player using the penhold grip could hold the racquet with the blade angled down and backwards with a great extent before the stroke.

Penhold's Disadvantage:

The bad disadvantage is difficulty to execute backhand offence strokes.

Not many even world-class players use backhand side of their racquets for offence strokes.

Handshake Advantage:

It allows to a player execute good backhand offence strokes.

Handshake Disadvantage:

Forehand strokes are not so effective to compare with penhold grip.

There is known a penhold grip (hereinafter “1+4 grip”) where the thumb is positioned along forehand side of a racquet and the all remaining fingers positioned on the backhand side.

This grip allows producing very good offence strokes using forehand and backhand sides but this grip also has its disadvantages.

The disadvantages of 1+4 grip are:

Not secure grip especially doing fast hits or spin so not possible to produce strong attacks.

Bad feeling of the racquet because the all fingers on the backhand side of the racquet have nothing to hold.

From the above it is clear that a need exists for a racquet that has a handle(s) that allows a novel comfortable and secure grip with the blade down and backwards, the both forehand and backhand offence strokes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention eliminates the all above disadvantages. Two-handle paddle (the blade one and the side one) provides a player with a great secure grip similar to 1+4 grip which combines the main advantages of the penhold and the handshake grips, without their respective disadvantages present, or other disadvantages arising. This novel grip has very high surface of contact of the hand and paddle and increases the feeling of the paddle. In addition, the handles are structured and positioned on the blade with allowing to a player to use a comfortable wrist position with a more secure grip to compare with conventional paddles with ability to produce very powerful forehand and backhand strokes with relaxed hand.

BREAF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of the inventive paddle;

FIG. 2 shows a front view thereof;

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 shows a left side view thereof;

FIG. 5 shows a rear view thereof,

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view along the lines 1-1 of FIG. 2 thereof;

FIG. 7 shows a modification of sectional view along lines 1-1 of FIG. 2 thereof;

FIG. 8 shows a front view of the second embodiment of the inventive paddle;

FIG. 9 a left side view of the second embodiment thereof;

FIG. 10 shows a top plan view of the second embodiment thereof;

DESCRIPION OF THE DRAWINGS

The rubbers are covered the both striking sides of the blade 8 and the blade 8 b (FIG. 8) but they are not shown. The both embodiments provide a secure grip for a right-handed player. The paddle for left-handed player would be a mirror image of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 8.

Description of the First Embodiment

Hereinafter if the FIG. is not mentioned then a part the best shown on the FIG. 1.

The first embodiment on the figures from (FIG. 1) to (FIG. 7) shows that the paddle consists of five parts, a blade 8, a side handle 6, a blade handle 16, a plate 2, and a cover 17. All of them could be made of wood, plywood, plastic or other material that a game rules allowed. They could be made as one peace or could be assembled using separate parts. These parts for an example could be glued with the blade 8.

The side handle 6 is fixed on the backhand side of the blade 8.

An angle 10 between the midline 9 of the backhand side of the blade 8 and the intersection 13 of the left side 14 of the side handle 6 with the backhand side of the blade 6 is 68 degrees. The angel 10 could be in a range between 15 degrees and 160 degrees.

The blade 8 is extended as the blade handle 16. The plate 2 added to the backhand side of the blade handle 16. An angle 15 between the intersection 13 and a line 4 of the blade handle 16 is 80 degrees. The angel 15 could be in a range between 45 degrees and 150 degrees.

The blade handle 16 has a cover 17 on its forehand side. The thickness of the cover 17 (FIG. 5) could be in a range between 0.2 mm and 25 mm but the best thickness is 4 mm. The plate 2, the blade handle 16, and the cover 17 look like a shaft of a conventional racquet and the sum of the thickness of these parts is 25 mm for the best fit of gripping by the thumb and the index finger. This thickness could be in a range between 7 mm and 80 mm. The cover 17 protects the surface of the forehand side of the blade handle 8. In a possible embodiment the cover 17 could not exist.

For a good feeling of the racquet during hitting a ball there is a counterbalance of the blade with rubbers. The counterbalance consists of three parts: the blade handle 16, a part of the plate 2, and a part of the cover 17. FIG. 1 shows the side handle 6 that has the best configurations for the most secure grip that allows playing with semi-relaxed hand and wrist. The side handle 6 has four gripping parts two walls 5 (FIG. 4) and 11 (FIG. 4), a left side 14, and a bridge that connected the walls with the left side 14.

In this embodiment the thumb holds the rubber on the forehand side of the blade 8 and the cover 17 (FIG. 5) and the index finger holds the plate 2 along it in the way that the blade 8, the plate, and the cover 17 are going above the hand. The index finger could contact the upper gripping wall 5 of the side handle 6. The middle, the ring and the little fingers are positioned inside a cavity created with the blade 8 (FIG. 6) and the gripping bridge of the side handle 6 (FIG. 6). The middle finger could contact with the gripping wall 5 and the little finger could contact with the gripping wall 11 the both inside the side handle 6. So the thumb and the index finger hold the cover 17 and the plate 2 as one handle and the all remaining fingers hold the side handle 6 as another handle.

The angel 10 is less then 90 degrees and because of this the blade 8 is angled down and backwards.

This is very important for producing good forehand and backhand offence strokes with comfortable position of a player hand.

The angel 15 is less then 90 degrees and that provides a player with a very secure grip of the side handle 6 and the blade handle 16.

For more secure grip the side handle 6 a (FIG. 7) could be positioned toward the blade handle 8 a.

The edge 7 of the side handle 6 is parallel to the edge 12. But they could be not parallel. For an example because the middle finger is longer then the little finger the upper edge of the gripping wall 5 could be made longer then the upper edge of the gripping wall 11. Also the edge 7 could be not just strait. It could be rounded along itself or it could have three rounded areas for a better touching with the three fingers.

On the first embodiment the edge 12 of the side handle 6 is parallel to the blade 8. This provides a player with the equal effectiveness of using the both the forehand and the backhand sides of the paddle. But the edge 12 could be not parallel to the blade 8. If the gripping wall 11 is higher than the gripping wall 5 then the paddle, meaning that the hand of a player has the same position, is more open for forehand offence strokes and more close if produce backhand offence strokes. In this case this is better to produce backhand offence strokes. And contra versa if the gripping wall 5 is higher than the wall 11.

The gripping bridge of the side handle 6 is not parallel to the blade 8 but it could be parallel or the edge 7 could be closer to the blade 8 then the edge 12.

The edge 12 as well as the line 13 could be not just strait. They or one of them could be for an example curved. The cross section of the side handle 6 (FIG. 6) not eliminates the possible configuration of the side handle. The cross section of the side handle could be “I” formed as on the second embodiment or it could be “L” or “T” formed. Also it could be any combination of above mentioned. The different side handles could be perpendicular to the blade 8, as on the second embodiment, but instead of 90 degrees there could be a different angle between the blade and the side handle.

It is obvious that the all above modifications are in the scope of the present invention.

Description of the Second Embodiment

Figures from FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 show the second embodiment of the novel paddle. The midline of the blade handle 18 (FIG. 8) coincidences with the midline 9 a of the blade 8 b (FIG. 8). The side handle 6 b (FIG. 8) made as one peace and its left side is rounded for a better fitting with the hand. A grip for using the novel paddle according with the second embodiment is similar to the grip in the first embodiment.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shapes, form, assembly and grip, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompasses by the present invention. 

1. A paddle for use in racquet sports, particularly table tennis, comprising; a substantially flat blade 8 that has forehand and backhand sides for hitting a ball; a handle said side handle 6 added to the backhand side of the blade 8; an angle 10 between the midline 9 of the backhand side of the blade 8 and the intersection 13 of the left plane 14 of the side handle 6 with the backhand side of the blade 6 (hereinafter “the angel between the midline of the blade and the side handle”) is between 15 degrees and 160 degrees; the blade 8 is extended as said blade handle 16; an angle 15 between the intersection 13 and the line 4 of the blade handle 16 (hereinafter “the angel between the side handle and the blade handle”) is between 45 degrees and 150 degrees;
 2. The paddle according to claim 1 where a plate 2 is added to the backhand side of the blade handle
 8. 